Our story
It started with a bucket of shells and a rainy afternoon. I had been walking the same stretch of shoreline for years, filling my pockets the way you do without thinking, until the windowsills gave out and something had to be done with them.
What began as a way to keep the summer around a little longer turned into Salty C's Treasures — small-batch decoupage art on real oyster shells, made one at a time at my kitchen table with a glass of wine and the radio on.
How each piece is made
Shells are gathered locally, then scrubbed, soaked and left to cure in the sun for several weeks until they are clean, hard and odour-free. Only the shells with good shape and depth make the cut — the rest go back.
Each shell is sealed, then layered with fine decoupage papers cut to follow its natural ridges. The edges are hand-gilded in muted gold or silver, and the whole piece gets several coats of a clear protective finish. Magnets, hardware and ribbon are added last.
Start to finish, a single piece passes through my hands over a dozen times across about two weeks.
Gathered & cured
Collected locally, scrubbed, soaked and sun-cured for several weeks until clean and odour-free.
Sealed & layered
Fine decoupage papers cut to follow each shell's own ridges, then sealed coat by coat.
Gilded by hand
Edges finished in muted gold — the detail that turns a shell into a piece.
Finished & fitted
Magnets, stoppers, feet or ribbon added last, then a final protective coat.
What we believe
- Nothing mass-produced. Every shell is a different shape, so every piece is a different piece.
- Locally gathered, nothing harvested. Shells are collected after the fact, never taken from living oysters.
- Made to be used. These are not museum objects. Put rings in the dish. Hang the ornament every year.
- Honest timelines. If a custom order needs six weeks, we will tell you six weeks.
Every piece is one of one
Because the shells decide the shape, no two pieces are ever quite the same. What you see on the shop page is exactly what ships.